Wouldn't it be nice if we had a copy of our body when it was in perfect health, stored somewhere in hibernation? Then, if our current body was damaged beyond repair, we could transfer our consciousness to that backup body. Of course this is just a silly science fiction fantasy. So until the day when all that is possible, we will just have to settle with the body we have--and that means taking care of it.

The data files that you create on a daily basis are important both for their individual value and also because they represent the time you have sacrificed creating them; time you could have used to relax and rejuvenate your body and soul. Now what if one day you turned on your computer and those data files were gone! Remember that stomach-churning feeling you get when bad things happen to you? Trust me, it's the same feeling you get when you discover that you have lost your data on your computer.

The data stored in your computer hard drive is not like ink on paper. While the ink molecules actually bond with the fiber of the paper, an electronic bit of computerized data is stored as a precarious electric charge on the surface of the hard drive. While it is not as fleeting as static electricity, it is nonetheless can be easily removed by an accidental keystroke or mouse click. Also inside the hard drive, data is written by a crane-like arm that either deposits or take away a charge on the surface of the hard drive. Therefore any errant movement of this arm can unintentionally remove a charge and with it the data. This is just one of reasons why even when the hard drive itself is working fine, data can be lost.

Ok, enough technical stuff. How do you backup your precious data? The backup process is as simple as click on the file, choose Copy, click on another area on the computer like the desktop and choose Paste. Now there are two copies of the data file. The ideal backup is when the location that contains the copy is on a physically separate drive, one that is nowhere near the first drive where the original data file is stored. This way, the odds of two independent events that cause both files to be lost at the same time is astronomical. If it is too much of a hassle to physically transport the second storage device away from the first, the Internet comes to the rescue. If you have a broadband connection like DSL and cable, setting up an in-house off site backup is inexpensive these days. Imagine this scenario. You and a bunch of friends get together and decide that Bob's house will be the location where everyone else will backup their data to over the Internet. Bob can setup himself or have some tech like us at TechCollective setup for him an FTP server at his house. On this server are the personal accounts of all the people involved. Therefore, each has a private and secured space on Bob's server to store the second copies of their precious data. The data can be encrypted so that not even Bob or the tech who set this up can see the data. If a hacker gets in, the data is protected.

Backing up your data in this computerized world we now live is becoming mandatory. In fact, it is mandated by law that a company of a certain size or one that manages certain info to backup their data. Therefore, aside from the fact that you can sleep at night knowing that your data is safe, it is the law.